


Cough syrup

by ShandrisCZ



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Also I'm not a doctor, Don't know shit of taking care of a sick person, Fluff, Gavin has cat(s), Gavin is sick, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, I just want them to be happy, M/M, Probably ooc, RK900 takes care of him, Soft Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 12:49:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16159292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShandrisCZ/pseuds/ShandrisCZ
Summary: Jumping into a river in the middle of the October wasn't the brightest idea Gavin had but it played in his favour in the end... after all he got a new cat and a boyfriend out of it.





	Cough syrup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HeyMurphy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyMurphy/gifts).



  Gavin was _not_ in a good mood. He just finished up a case on android trafficking - a fucking nightmare, they had to ask Anderson and Connor for help. He was sleep-deprived, sore from the fight that followed after he tried to arrest those bastards who thought that androids were still things and all he wanted to do was have a smoke before passing out and sleeping through the next four days he had for himself - Fowler was gracious enough to let him take two days off.

  Anderson offered to give him a lift to his flat but he refused. He didn't need to watch as Connor and Anderson stared at each other longingly. Hell, it wasn't that he wasn't happy for them... because he actually was. After the revolution he did some serious soul searching, and apologized to Connor for being an ass - he even spoke in Connor's favour when he was applying for a job at the DPD. Now he wasn't on best friends term with either of them but he could admit that he enjoyed their company.

  But their painfully obvious happiness was reminding him about his own feelings about a certain RK900 model that also happened to be his partner... feelings he was too scared to act up on.

  He cursed under his breath, kicking a rock as he hunched his shoulders against the wind. It was middle of October and it was already pretty chilly, maybe he should have worn something warmer than his leather jacket and a T-shirt...

  His train of thought was stopped when a sudden cry was heard. He freezed on the spot, listening carefully. It sounded like some kind of animal and it was clearly in distress. He heard it again and immediately took off in the direction it was coming from - the river.

  He heard it again and so he sped up, his eyes searching until he finally found the source. A cat was swimming in the water, trying to get back to the shore, the current too strong for it. Gavin cursed, pulling off his jacket and throwing it to the ground and without thinking twice dove into the water. He quickly swam to the distressed animal, picking it up gently, letting it rest on his shoulder.

  "It's alright buddy, I got you," he soothed the shivering cat who clutched onto him immediately, meowing into his ear. He supported it with one hand, swimming with the other, quickly reaching the shore.

  "There we are. Lucky I heard you, huh?" he spoke quietely to the cat, wrapping it gently in his jacket. It meowed at him, watching him with it's huge eyes as if he was the centre of the world. He smiled, scratching it behind it's ear and the cat started purring immediately.

  "Let's get you home so we can get dry."

  The cat meowed, and he just started walking to his home, trying to ignore the cold wind as best he could.

\---

  "I'm home," he called into the apartment as he closed the front door behind him and toed off his soaked shoes. There was a meow and soon enough his Ragdoll trotted towards him, rubbing against his legs in greeting, not caring that she was getting water all over her fur.

  "Hey, girl, I brought you a friend," he smiled, crouching in front of her, scratching the base of her tail. She sniffed curiously towards the new cat who meowed, wriggling in Gavin's hold. The cats sniffed each other for a while and then bumped heads, making Gavin chuckle warmly.

  "Guess you'll get along then. C'mon Princess, we need to get our guest warm."

  Princess meowed, leading the way deeper to the apartment, hopping on the couch immediately like she owned the place. Gavin smirked and set the new cat next to her gently.

  "You play nice, now," he said before going to his bedroom, fetching a towel before returning shortly after, not really minding the wet trail he was leaving everywhere. He could get warm later, the cat was more important than his own discomfort, ok?

  Princess was cuddled to the newcomer, grooming it, both cats purring loudly.

  "Wow, I wish you were this nice to me," Gavin chuckled, pushing Princess gently away, towelling the wet cat, making it's fur stick at odd angles. When he was finally satisfied he let it go and it immediately returned to it's place next to Princess who proceeded in her grooming.

  Gavin pulled up his laptop, shooting an e-mail to the vet he took Princess to. He needed to get this cat checked, see if it was chipped, how old was it, how healthy... God, he hoped it wasn't chipped. He was thinking about getting a second cat for some time now and this one looked perfect. Suddenly he sneezed and the two cats looked up at him in alarm. He sneezed again, a shudder running down his body.

  "Jesus Christ," he murmured, sending the e-mail, setting the laptop back on the coffee table. He pet both cats before getting up.

  "Alright, keep each other company," he told them and they only purred in response. He smiled but then sneezed again and with curses he went to the bathroom. A warm shower was all he needed right now.

\---

  Richard drummed his fingers on his leg impatiently as the elevator took him up to Gavin Reed's apartment. He needed to check up on the human. He took off immediately after giving Fowler the report on the case and since then he wasn't picking up his phone or responding to any texts. Richard was... concerned.

  Finally the elevator stopped and he made his way to the correct door before fishing out the keys Reed gave him a month after they were asigned partners.

  _'If you need a place to crash, you don't have to ask, just come over.'_

  He smiled at the memory. Detective Reed had blushed when he said those words, looking anywhere but at Richard as he accepted the keys. It was charming. Cute.

  He let himself in and almost immediately was met with two bodies rubbing against his legs. He frowned. Last time he was here, the detective owned only one cat and there wasn't any signs of new hairs on his clothes. He crouched and scratched Princess who purred at him happily. Then he turned to the other who was sniffing him cautiously. He scanned it quickly. Female. No owner. Android cat who was supposed to look like the Maine Coon breed. Curious.

  "Who are you," he asked, petting the cat who just meowed in response, lifting it's head up into his hand. He smiled softly, letting the two cats sniffle him to their hearts' content before going deeper into the flat. He was met with silence and he frowned once more. He was sure that the detective would head home. Maybe he was still asleep.

  He knocked on the bedroom door softly, cracking the door open. The detective was indeed there, curled under his blanket, cuddling with a plushie of what appeared to be some kind of cartoon bird. A quick search on the internet told Richard it was a Pokemon named Rowlet. He quickly saved a picture of this little scene into a folder named _'The Grumpy Detective'_ and wanted to walk quietely out of the room as not to disturb the detective's sleep when suddenly something caught his attention.

  The detective's temperature was 101.6 which was definitely a fever temperature. The man was shivering and his breathing was shallow and fast paced. Richard clicked his tongue. The detective was sick. No wonder he wasn't responding to any kind of communication.

  Richard made sure that he wouldn't wake up the detective as he closed the door to the bedroom quietely. He searched the internet what to do to help ill humans and came with few methods. He walked to the kitchen, checking the fridge and cupboards for ingredients, already buying online what he couldn't find. He was going to help his human feel better if it took him his whole vacation.

\---

  Gavin woke up and immediately regretted it. He was cold, shivering violently, his head hurt and he was sure he would never breathe through his nose again. He needed to warm himself. A tea sounded like the best option, because - as much as it pained him to admit it - he couldn't drink coffee when he was sick.

  He got up, wincing. Damn, he was still sore and if he didn't take some Advil soon his head would explode. He hugged the Rowlet plushie closer to him, standing up carefully, still wrapped in the blanket.

  As soon as he opened the door Princess and the rescue meowed at him, both sensing something was wrong with the human.

  "Damn, I forgot about you. Guess we'll have to reschedule the vet."

  "That won't be necessary."

  Gavin screeched and threw the Rowlet plushie at what he thought was an assailant. It turned out to be Richard who caught the plush with ease, smirking, his LED never changing from blue.

  "Good reflexes, detective."

  Gavin burned under the praise and at the fact he just threw a stuffed Pokemon at his partner and crush. If he could just fall through the ground right now, that would be fine with him.

  "What are you doing here?" he asked instead, sniffling. Richard looked at the plush in his hands.

  "You didn't answer your phone. I came in to check on you and saw that you were sick. I decided to stay and help in whatever way I can."

  Gavin wanted to _die_.

  "I can take care of myself," he grumbled but then suddenly a wave of vertigo hit him and if it wasn't for Richard's hands steadying him he would faceplant right into his floor. Richard stuffed the plush into his hands, steering him towards the couch.

  "Please, can you not be so stubborn, just this once?" Richard asked him as he sat down heavily and sneezed. Ok, so he felt miserable and the prospect of someone taking care of him did actually sound nice. And if Richard was willing?

  "Fine," he sniffled and Richard beamed at him before rushing to his kitchen, the sounds of kitchenware following shortly. Gavin pulled up his laptop. There was a new e-mail from his vet. He opened it and frowned.

  "Why the fuck did you cancel the appointment with the vet? I saved the cat from river, it could be injured, we need to see if it's chipped-"

  He was cut short by Richard who pulled the laptop off his lap and replaced it with a bowl of chicken soup. Gavin was sure that if his nose wasn't stuffed it would smell absolutely amazing.

  "There's no need. She's an android cat and she currently doesn't have an owner. As for an injury I couldn't detect anything on my scan."

  Gavin gaped at the android.

  "What?" he asked weakly, but Richard just smiled at him gently, making his heart beat a little bit faster.

  "I do believe that your ears are working as they should detective. Anyway, eat before it gets cold. I will go fetch some tea."

  Gavin was freezed in place, trying to process all that just happened, before he felt a nudge against his arm. He looked and there was the rescue, bumping against his arm, purring loudly.

  "How is this my life," he asked quietely before starting to eat the soup.

\---

  "You're cheating!" Gavin screeched when Richard won another round of Mario Kart 15, the sudden strain on his throat making him cough violently and drop the controller as he struggled to breathe. Once he finally settled down, he reached for a tissue.

  "I thought the cough drops were supposed to help you," Richard said instead, ignoring the accusation, frowning slightly. Gavin sighed, settling back on the couch, drawing his blanket closer to his body.

  "Yeah, they just need to work their magic for a while," he croaked, setting up a new level. He felt a little better. His head didn't hurt as much and he wasn't cold anymore. The cough and stuffed nose were annoying but nothing he hadn't dealt before.

  "I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better," Richard said and Gavin looked at him. His LED was blinking yellow, a small frown settled on his face, Princess and Precious napping on his lap.

  "You're keeping me company, that's enough for me," he suddenly blurted out and later he would try to blame the various medicine he had consumed. Nines' eyes snapped to look at him, impossibly huge and blue and Gavin could feel his face turn bright red. He turned his attention back to the game and started the level.

  "Well, look who's cheating now," Richard said, smirk clearly heard in his voice and Gavin once more thought how screwed he actually was.

\---

  Something was wrong. Gavin felt like he couldn't breathe, the world around him closing in. He tried screaming for help but not a sound escaped his throat-

  "Detective, please wake up!"

  Gavin's eyes snapped open and stared up into the eyes of panicked Richard.

  "'wassit?" he drawled out, trying to sit up, when he realised Richard's hand was cupping his cheek. His face grew warmer and he hoped the android would simply think it was from his sickness.

  "My scans were telling me you were in distress, I believe you were having a nightmare," Richard said, his eyes roaming over Gavin's face.

  "Yeah... yeah, I have those. Thanks for waking me up," he managed to get out, finally sitting up in his bed. Richard's hand fell away from his face and he wished he could put it back. The contact had been soothing. Richard cleared his throat.

  "I'm just glad you're alright. How are you feeling?"

  "Like shit."

  The android hummed, scanning him.

  "Your temperature has decreased but I believe that more sleep would be beneficial. If you need anything just call," he rushed out and then basically fled from the bedroom. Gavin frowned, but settled back down, staring into the ceiling. The nightmare suddenly came rushing back to him and he growled with frustration and got up. He wouldn't be able to fall asleep now anyway.

  He waddled to the living room, wrapped in the blanket. Richard was sitting on the couch, reading an actual physical book. The android looked up immediately when he heard the detective come closer. He put the book down, already starting to get up, a worried expression on his face and LED blinking yellow.

  "Sorry, I just... I don't want to be alone right now," Gavin explained, not looking at the android as he sat on the couch heavily.

  "Oh. Of course. Do you want some tea?" Richard asked, ready to be of assistance to the sick human.

  "Nah. Just be here with me," Gavin mumbled, hating the vulnerability in his voice. Richard sat next to him and both just stared straight ahead in silence for an unbearable minute.

  "What are you reading?" Gavin suddenly asked, hoping to cut through the mood in the room.

  "The Hobbit."

  "Nerd," Gavin teased, finally looking at his partner.

  "Well, I found it in your bookshelf. So who's the real nerd here?" he smirked and Gavin blushed.

  "Still you," Gavin grumbled and Richard chuckled. Why was the android set on making Gavin's life more difficult?

  Richard was still smirking at him, normally cold blue eyes twinkling with mischief before Gavin finally snapped.

  "Just read it to me, you ass," he grumbled, settling into the couch, glaring at the smug android before Richard indeed started reading outloud, his soothing voice lulling the detective to sleep.

\---

  Gavin woke up, groaning at the pain in his neck. He wanted to stretch but as soon as he moved, he froze.

  _'Please, God, this isn't real.'_

  With his heart in his throat he opened his eyes and saw that yes, he was indeed sprawled over Richard, who was holding him tightly. They were lying on the couch, cuddling while they slept. What the _fuck_?

  Gavin chanced another glance at Richard. The androids' eyes were closed, LED pulsing faint blue. Gavin realised he was in stasis. Maybe if he was super careful he could disentangle himself without waking the other up and then he could pretend that nothing happened - even if his heart bled just at the thought of that.

  "Stop squirming so much," Richard suddenly murmured, making Gavin jump. He eyed the android who still had his eyes closed but his LED was brighter, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

  "I... uh, sorry I must have fallen asleep on you, huh?" he chuckled nervously, trying to get up. But Richard's arms only tightened around him, until he couldn't move at all.

  "Gavin," Richard sighed with a smile and Gavin's heart thrummed in his chest like a humming bird. One of the android's hands started making soothing circles on his lower back until he melted under the touch. It was only then that Richard opened his eyes, looking at Gavin with such fondness it made his breath hitch.

  "Can I kiss you?" Richard suddenly asked and Gavin was sure he was dreaming... or he took more painkillers than he should have and this was all a hallucination. Ah, fuck it. If he got to kiss Richard in this dream he would fucking go for it. He leaned in, kissing Richard quickly before he could talk himself out of it.

  They kissed for a while, soft sounds escaping both of them as they explored each other, hands roaming free over the other's skin. As Gavin's head cleared from the initial haziness he suddenly realised that this felt too real for it to just be a dream. He pulled away and Richard whined, trying to chase his mouth.

  "I'm not dreaming, am I?" Gavin asked, and Richard chuckled.

  "No, you're not."

  "Fuck," Gavin cursed under his breath, his eyes locking with Richard's. They were so blue.

  "Would you rather be dreaming?" Richard teased gently and Gavin blushed.

  "Don't put words into my mouth."

  "I'd rather put something else into your mouth," Richard purred and Gavin moaned as Richard cupped his ass, giving it a teasing squeeze.

  "But you need to get better first. So rest. I'll be here."

  "Fucking android, teasing me like this," Gavin grumbled but the truth was that he still wasn't feeling hundred percent so he let his head fall back on Richard's shoulder, closing his eyes as he snuggled closer to the android who pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

\---

  "-so fucking cute."

  Gavin was woken by Tina, who was standing in the middle of his living room, taking pictures of the little scene before her.

  "What the fuck?" he groused, glancing at Richard. He was back in stasis.

  "Oh, morning sleepy head. I brought you some food but I can see you're in good hands," she whispered, giggling a bit. He couldn't really blame her for being excited. She was usually the one stuck listening to him whine about his crush.

  "G'way. 'M gonna get you sick," he slurred into Richard's shirt.

  "Ok. I'm happy for you," she smiled and he returned the smile, cuddling closer to Richard's resting form. Tina giggled once more, leaving the flat. As she was making her way home, she looked at the pictures she snapped. Gavin was lying on top of Richard, both of them looking more relaxed than she ever saw them, two cats snoozing in the tangle of legs. She smiled and sent the best one both to Gavin and Richard, figuring out that they would both want to see it.

**Author's Note:**

> *Gavin set the picture as his wallpaper for the next two months, finally changing it with a picture of him and Richard kissing under the mistletoe on the DPD's christmas party...
> 
> I didn't sleep so I could write this. Guardians of the galaxy mix 1 and 2 helped me power through this cause I had them set on loop. Hope it's good, cause I don't actually have energy to rewrite it now and later I won't rewrite it, cause I'm a lazy bastard. If anybody wishes to rewrite this I won't stop you...
> 
> Thanks to HeyMurphy for encouraging me to write this, it wouldn't see the light of the world without them.
> 
> Enjoy!


End file.
